Former NY Gov. David Paterson and wife split after 19 years of marriage

Jim McKnight / AP PhotoNew York State Lt. Gov. David Paterson takes his oath of office in this Jan. 1, 2007 file photo taken at the New York State Capitol in Albany, N.Y., as his wife, Michelle Paige Paterson watches.

NEW YORK (AP) — Former New York Governor David Paterson and his wife have separated.

The split between the Democratic politician and wife Michelle Paige Paterson was first reported by the New York Post. Paterson representative Sean Darcy says the couple's decision was "mutual and amicable."

The couple's relationship was in the public eye from the day he took office in 2008. He immediately admitted one affair in an interview and the next day appeared at a press conference with his wife, where both admitted having affairs at a time when their marriage was heading toward divorce.

The revelations followed on the heels of the sex scandal that felled Paterson's predecessor. Democratic Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned from office after he was accused of spending thousands of dollars on high-end prostitutes.